Is It Okay to Take a Glucosamine-chondroitin Supplement Before and After Otoplasty?

I take a routine glucosamine-chondroitin liquid supplement daily, 2 tablespoons a day as instructed. I take this because of an old herniated lumbar disc injury. The supplement also contains horsetail as well as collagen, vitamin B complex, vitamin D3 and zinc. I've always found it to be beneficial on my back, but is there any reason I should not take it when going through otoplasty (ear pinning?) It is supposed to help strengthen cartilage , would this in fact be helpful for recovery? Thank you!

Doctor Answers 6

Glucosamine Chondroitin and Ear Surgery

September 9th, 2012

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Glucosamine-Chondroitin should not be taken immediately before or after surgery as they can promote bleeding after the procedure. Although they are herbal substances, they can mimic heparin, which is a blood thinner.

It is not clear how glucosamine-chondroitin will impact cartilage after an otoplasty, but more than likely it will have minimal change in either a positive or negative manner based on anecdotal evidence.

Cartilage Repair Supplement For Otoplasty

August 7th, 2012

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In today's era of nutritional supplements, it is not a surprise that you would wonder whether such a compound would have any effect on your ear cartilage surgery. In theory you would think that it would. But there is no known evidence that it has any effect on cartilage repair in the ear or any other cartilage not in a synovial-lined cavity. Conversely, there is no known side effect either so I would not alter your normal oral regimen.

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Glucosamine-chondroitin Supplement

August 7th, 2012

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To be safe you should definitely consult your surgeon before the treatment. There is no research or evidence for or against the use of glucosamine-chondroitin supplements before and after an otoplasty. There are few side effects to using this supplement, but it is always best to get the opinion and consent of your doctor first. There are also no studies done to show whether or not it helps with the recovery from an otoplasty.

Glucosamine/Chondroitin is Probably Okay To Take Prior To Your Otoplasty

August 6th, 2012

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There is no evidence that this supplement will help or hurt you around the time of your surgery. The supplements we want all patients to stop are those that increase the likelihood of bleeding. This does not do that so it would probably be okay to take although I wouldn't expect it to improve the overall outcome of the surgery. Good luck.

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